McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says a second Honda-powered 'B team' would only be viable if it was not a "distraction" to the partnership's main Formula 1 squad.

An affiliated customer Honda team has been mooted as an option for both speeding up the Japanese firm's engine development by doubling its presence on track, and to create race seats for McLaren proteges Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne while world champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button occupy the primary drives.

Although F1's rules allowing increasing possibilities for partnerships between teams - such as 2016 newcomer Haas's alliance with Ferrari - Boullier was cool about the prospect of McLaren or Honda striking such a deal.

"I'm not sure we would like to pay the price of having a distraction within Honda or giving some focus to this," he told AUTOSPORT.

"We have to balance things. We'll see in time.

"We are thinking and we are talking and we are brainstorming."

He underlined McLaren would do its best to help Magnussen - who raced for the team in F1 last season - and runaway GP2 leader Vandoorne.

"It's a nice problem to have - but a tricky one," Boullier said of McLaren's driver surplus.

"We will do our best for them."

EXPERIENCED DRIVERS BEST FOR NOW

Boullier is certain McLaren's current line-up of very experienced drivers - with Button and Alonso having been in F1 since 2000 and '01 respectively - is its best option during Honda's development period.

"Both have the credibility, and that is very important," he said.

"When each of them says something, everybody is listening and everybody is trusting them to the point where they will try to fix it. That's a big change.

"If you have two junior drivers, you will be tempted to teach them what to do rather than listening to what they want.

"When you are in the situation where we are now, it's good that Honda and McLaren listen to drivers.

"They give the guidance from the past on where we need to go."

But he stopped short of confirming an unchanged line-up for 2016. Alonso has an ongoing deal while there is an option to retain Button too.

"We are happy today with both drivers," said Boullier.

"I can't comment more than this and I don't want to create a wrong or bad or untrue expectation.

McLaren Group CEO Ron Dennis has put a block on Honda supplying engines to Red Bull, according to Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

In its bid to acquire a power unit supply from 2016 after opting to ditch long-term partner Renault at the end of this season, Red Bull has turned to Honda after so far being spurned by Mercedes and Ferrari.

It has previously been claimed McLaren has no veto over Honda supplying another team, but Ecclestone has revealed Dennis does not want the Japanese manufacturer to join forces with Red Bull.

In a media briefing in the Austin paddock on Saturday, Ecclestone said: "At the moment it would appear Honda are happy to give them [Red Bull] an engine, and Mr Dennis thinks they shouldn't.

"When Honda came in the FIA said to them if we let you into Formula 1 you've got to supply three teams.

"But they said 'As we're a brand new company, we don't think we can do that', so it was said to them to supply one team for the first year, two for the second and three for third.

"So Honda has an agreement with the FIA and myself that allowed them into F1 on the basis of supplying one team for the first year, etcetera.

"But they somehow made a commitment to Ron he had a veto, and he doesn't want Red Bull. He believes they may be competitors.

"Ron has said definitely not [to a supply], as far as he's concerned, but I don't know if his veto will stand up or not."

Asked as to how Dennis has a veto given the agreements with himself and the FIA, Ecclestone replied: "In fairness to Ron he probably didn't know.

"I'm not blaming anybody. I said I'd tell you the facts and they are the facts.

"Red Bull could run Honda [engines] if Honda agreed, but they won't agree to avoid having an argument with Ron."

Suggested to Ecclestone that leaving Renault and being powered by Honda was effectively akin to jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, the 84-year-old said: "At the moment, but we don't know what next year's Honda is going to be like."

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says a second Honda-powered 'B team' would only be viable if it was not a "distraction" to the partnership's main Formula 1 squad.

An affiliated customer Honda team has been mooted as an option for both speeding up the Japanese firm's engine development by doubling its presence on track, and to create race seats for McLaren proteges Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne while world champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button occupy the primary drives.

Although F1's rules allowing increasing possibilities for partnerships between teams - such as 2016 newcomer Haas's alliance with Ferrari - Boullier was cool about the prospect of McLaren or Honda striking such a deal.

"I'm not sure we would like to pay the price of having a distraction within Honda or giving some focus to this," he told AUTOSPORT.

"We have to balance things. We'll see in time.

"We are thinking and we are talking and we are brainstorming."

He underlined McLaren would do its best to help Magnussen - who raced for the team in F1 last season - and runaway GP2 leader Vandoorne.

"It's a nice problem to have - but a tricky one," Boullier said of McLaren's driver surplus.

"We will do our best for them."

EXPERIENCED DRIVERS BEST FOR NOW

Boullier is certain McLaren's current line-up of very experienced drivers - with Button and Alonso having been in F1 since 2000 and '01 respectively - is its best option during Honda's development period.

"Both have the credibility, and that is very important," he said.

"When each of them says something, everybody is listening and everybody is trusting them to the point where they will try to fix it. That's a big change.

"If you have two junior drivers, you will be tempted to teach them what to do rather than listening to what they want.

"When you are in the situation where we are now, it's good that Honda and McLaren listen to drivers.

"They give the guidance from the past on where we need to go."

But he stopped short of confirming an unchanged line-up for 2016. Alonso has an ongoing deal while there is an option to retain Button too.

"We are happy today with both drivers," said Boullier.

"I can't comment more than this and I don't want to create a wrong or bad or untrue expectation.